


Discreet Arrangements: The Wedding

by Brumeier



Series: Good Days and Bad [2]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cutting, Family Bonding, Kid Fic, Las Vegas Wedding, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:27:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27195800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: Wedding planning for John and Rodney is in full swing, but there are always complications.
Relationships: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Series: Good Days and Bad [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985273
Comments: 20
Kudos: 78
Collections: Hurt/Comfort Bingo - Round 11





	Discreet Arrangements: The Wedding

**Author's Note:**

> Also written for h/c bingo: depression

John woke up in the middle of the night, body on alert as he listened for whatever had pulled him out of a dream where he was teaching Rodney how to fly the stealth bomber. He relaxed when he heard a noise in the bathroom. Just Rory. He started to drift back off to sleep when the sound of the medicine cabinet door sliding open got his attention.

Was Rory sick? Usually she only went in the medicine cabinet for the ibuprofen or the chewable Pepto tabs.

John slid out of bed and padded across the hall. The bathroom door was closed but there was a strip of light along the bottom. He knocked as softly as he could.

“Rory? Everything okay?”

“Don’t come in!” Rory practically shouted, and the utter panic in her voice gave John a sinking feeling.

“Well, I _am_ coming in, so if you’re not decent you better grab a towel.”

Rory was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, the floor in front of her covered with spilled bandaids. Her eyes were red, so she’d obviously been crying, and she had her right hand wrapped around her left arm just below the elbow.

“Don’t be mad,” she said. “Please, Daddy.”

John took a minute to collect himself. When Rory got in that headspace it made him feel so useless, and inexplicably guilty. He wanted to scream, Stop hurting yourself!

“I’m not mad, sweetheart. Let me see.”

Rory took her hand away, revealing a long, thin scratch on the inside of her arm that was sluggishly bleeding. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“It’s all right.” John kissed the top of her head. “Let me just clean this up.”

He pulled out a clean washcloth and wet it in the sink. He gently wiped the blood off from around the scratch and off of Rory’s hand before cleaning out the wound and blotting it. The bigger bandaids were under the sink in a plastic bin and he found one that would cover most of the scratch.

“How does that feel?”

“Better.”

“Come on.” John tugged her out of the bathroom, which wasn’t the ideal place to talk. They went out to the living room and sat on the couch together. John didn’t turn any lights on, so everything was shadows with just the barest illumination from the street lamp out front.

Rory curled up next to him and he wrapped his arms around her. He could feel her trembling.

“Have you been taking your meds?” John asked. He felt Rory shake her head. “Why?”

“Because everything else is better now,” Rory said, her voice thick with tears. “You don’t have to work so hard and we have enough money and we have Rodney, and I thought I might be better too.”

There was a lump the size of a boulder in John’s throat. Why hadn’t he paid closer attention? Why hadn’t he checked? “You know it doesn’t work that way, sweetheart. You need to stay on the medication.”

“I just want to be better,” she sniffled.

“You _are_ better. You’ve had great attendance at school and you’re doing well in most of your classes. You haven’t needed your coping tools in months.”

At the height of Rory’s anxiety she had a whole arsenal of things to help keep her from spiraling out, like the rubber bands that were supposed to take the place of cutting and the lavender essential oils to help her feel calm. John knew he was just as culpable, because she was right. Things _had_ been better. For both of them. That didn’t mean he should stop being vigilant.

“I think you need to take a step back,” John suggested. “You’ve been going crazy with the wedding planning, and you don’t need the added stress right now on top of school.”

“Oh, please don’t postpone the wedding because of me!” Rory pulled back, eyes gleaming. 

“There’s no rush,” John reminded her. “We can wait.”

“No, please, I really want to do this for you. You’ve done so much for me, and Rodney too. I promise I’ll get back on track.”

Even with all the shadows John could see the tears in Rory’s eyes. How could he say no to her? “How about we scale it back? Rodney and I don’t need all the frills. Just a JP at the courthouse will be fine.”

Rory let out a breath. “I can do simple! I swear! But… my only father getting married at a courthouse? Dad, come on!”

John let out a relieved breath. The crisis was over, for the night at least.

“Then we’ll come up with something as close to that as possible, which requires the least amount of work.” He shook her knee. “But right now we both need to get back to bed. Take your pills tonight, and again in the morning. Promise me.”

“Promise.”

“I’ll go back to keeping count if you don’t.”

“I will! Geez.”

John got up and pulled Rory off the couch and into a hug. “I love you, kid. Good days or bad days. Okay?”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

*o*o*o*

“Well, this is terrible,” Rodney said without preamble as he walked through the front door.

“Nice to see you too,” John replied.

They shared a chaste kiss and then Rodney was in the kitchen, rifling through the cabinets looking for food.

“Jeannie’s coming to the wedding.”

John leaned in the doorway. “Okay. I thought that was the plan.”

“The plan was to invite her and have her politely decline, so I got points for trying and didn’t actually have to deal with her.” Rodney pulled out a box of chocolate Pop Tarts and put one in the toaster. “We haven’t been in the same room together for five years, John. It’ll be a disaster.”

“We’ll work through it.”

“Oh, I have no doubt you’ll charm the pants off her. It’s me she’s going to beat to a pulp. Especially if she finds out how we met.” Rodney slumped against the refrigerator. “How’s the kid doing?”

“Back on her meds.”

“We could hire a wedding planner, so she doesn’t stress out about that stuff. I don’t want her stressing out.”

“You’re stressed out enough for everyone,” John observed. 

The second the Pop Tart popped, Rodney snatched it out of the toaster and promptly dropped it on the counter. “Ouch!”

John shook his head and pulled out a paper plate. “Here. Can we keep the burns to a minimum, please?”

“Dad? Oh, there you are. Hey, Rodney.” Rory nudged John out of the way so she could get into the kitchen, and boosted herself up to sit on the counter. “I have something I’d like to run by you two.”

She picked up Rodney’s Pop Tart and took a bite out of it, seemingly oblivious to the incredulous look on his face as she did so. John bit back a laugh.

“The big wedding was obviously too much for everyone. I mean, you’re not Kardashians, right?”

Rodney gave John a blank stare, and he shrugged in response. He assumed that was a celebrity or something.

“So, Dad mentioned a JP at the courthouse. My idea is similar, but way better and much more memorable.”

“The anticipation is killing me,” Rodney said dryly. He put another Pop Tart in the toaster.

“Graceland Wedding Chapel!” Rory said with a flourish.

“Didn’t we put the kibosh on the Elvis thing?” John asked, amused.

“No. But listen. It’s in Las Vegas, which is where you two officially met each other and your romance bloomed and all that. It would be a simple ceremony, nothing too fancy. And the Elvis impersonator sings! So it’s like a show, too!”

“I’m not opposed to Vegas,” Rodney said thoughtfully. “It does have sentimental appeal. And I wouldn’t have to entertain my sister the whole time.”

“Wait. Your sister is coming?” Rory threw her arms in the air. “Yes! An aunt!”

“Don’t get too excited. She hates me _and_ she’s a vegetarian.”

“But she has a little girl, right? She’d be my cousin?”

John hadn’t realized how starved for family Rory was. As if he needed more parental guilt. But maybe Rodney’s family would help distract her from the fact that his own family was so absent from their lives.

“I think Madison is three. Or four.” This time Rodney didn’t wait for the Pop Tart to cool before he started eating it. “Hopefully she has Jeannie’s brains and not that English teacher’s.”

“So that’s one yes for Vegas,” Rory said, deftly getting them back on track. “Dad?”

“Make it two. But I’m not saying yes to Elvis.”

Rory pouted. “Come on. I promise it won’t be super cheesy and everyone will have a good time. And you don’t have to get married by Elvis. He’ll just be there for the singing. Although if you wanted to…”

“I’m not getting married by Elvis,” John said.

“Well, if he’s just going to sing that would probably be okay,” Rodney said. He had chocolate on his lip. “Can we make sure we don’t get Fat Elvis? I don’t think that’s a good way to start a life together.”

John was surprised. He wouldn’t have pictured Rodney as someone who wanted Elvis performing at his wedding. Mostly he liked Classical and Jazz music. Then again, he’d learned early on that Rodney had a very hard time saying no to Rory.

“If we can pick the songs, I’ll do it,” John said.

Rory let out a whoop and hopped off the counter so she could give them both hugs. “It’ll be great, just wait and see! I promise! And they’ll take care of everything, so all we need to do it book it.”

She looked between John and Rodney expectantly. John tossed her his wallet.

“How much is this gonna cost me?”

“The basic package is like three hundred. But if we go up one, we get an extra song.”

“Basic is good.”

Rory slipped out of the kitchen with a smug expression and John’s wallet clutched in her hand.

“How are you okay with Elvis?” John asked.

Rodney shrugged. “It’s a small detail, and it makes her happy. Why not?”

“Indulgent step-dad,” John teased. He loved the goofy look Rodney always got on his face when anyone mentioned the step-dad thing. He’d never admit it, but John knew Rodney missed his family connections.

“Let’s order in. I’m starving.”

“Mmm. Me, too.” John pinned Rodney against the fridge and kissed him, tasting chocolate. “Rory’s sleeping over at Seirra’s tonight.”

“Really?” Rodney wound his arms around John. “All the more reason to order in.”

They never had the good, full-on sex when Rory was home. The walls were too thin, and John was too paranoid about her waking up and catching them at it. The most they did on those nights were quick handjobs or blowjobs. 

“Booked it!” Rory called from the living room.

“No turning back now,” John said.

Rodney grinned. “It’ll take more than Elvis to scare me away.”

*o*o*o*

_John remembered sitting in Wendy’s hospital room, next to the empty bed. Her glasses were on the bedside tray, her clothes were hanging in the closet. Anyone who didn’t know better could reasonably assume that she’d be right back. It didn’t feel like she was gone forever._

_He looked down at the tiny baby girl in his arms, swaddled in a white hospital blanket with a pink knit cap on her head. She was beautiful. The most beautiful thing John had ever seen. Tiny perfect face, all scrunched up in sleep. How was it possible to be so full of joy and so overwhelmed by grief at the same time?_

_They hadn’t picked out any baby names. Wendy had said they’d know, when they held their baby for the first time, what the name should be. But if the baby knew, she wasn’t being very forthcoming. Every name John thought of – Jessica, Grace, Margaret – seemed too ordinary._

_And then, unexpectedly, he remembered the first time he’d seen the aurora borealis. How awed he’d felt, watching those shifting lights dance across the sky. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Until now._

_“Aurora Borealis Sheppard,” he murmured to his tiny infant daughter. “What do you think?”_

_He’d swear until his dying day that the baby smiled in her sleep. Maybe Wendy had been right after all._

“And that’s how I got my name,” Rory said.

“That’s the loveliest story I ever heard.” Jeannie’s eyes were bright. John was feeling a little moist around the eyes himself, hearing Rory retell it.

“Better than being named after Uncle Gene,” Rodney said with a grin. Jeannie threw a wadded-up tissue at him. 

“I’d say welcome to the family, but you see what you’ll be dealing with.”

Rory gave Rodney a big hug. “He’s the best!”

_The best_ , Rodney mouthed at Jeannie over the top of Rory’s head.

They were gathered in the suite Rory would be sharing with Rodney’s sister and her family, which was a couple of doors down from where Rodney and John would be staying after the wedding.

“And how did you two meet?” Kaleb asked.

“Online dating,” Rodney said promptly. They’d rehearsed. “I swiped right and the rest is history.”

Jeannie’s eyes narrowed. “Why does that sound like BS?”

“It’s not,” John said. “We were penpals for months, texting mostly. And then we got up the courage to talk to each other on the phone.”

“I’m the one who really got them together,” Rory bragged. “I got Rodney’s number off Dad’s phone and called him so he could come to Vegas and meet us.”

Everything sounded believable coming from Rory – it didn’t hurt that she was telling the truth – and Jeannie seemed to buy it. There was no reason for her to know that her brother had joined Discreet Arrangements because he was lonely but afraid of getting close to someone. That was personal, as were John’s reasons for signing up.

“Mommy?” Madison called from the bedroom. She’d been asleep when they arrived.

Jeannie went and retrieved her, the little girl rubbing sleepily at her eyes as she was carried into the room. “Madison, can you say hi to Uncle Mer?”

“Hi, Uncle Mer.”

“And this is John. He’ll be your uncle tomorrow. And Rory, your new cousin.”

“Tomorrow is the wedding?” Madison asked. “I’m a flower girl.”

John exchanged a look with Rodney, who shrugged. They weren’t exactly having the kind of wedding that required a flower girl.

“You’ll be a great one,” Rory said enthusiastically. To John, she murmured, “I got this covered.”

John had no doubt about that. “Well, we have most of a whole day to spend together. What do you want to do?”

“Pool!” Madison shouted.

“Sounds good to me,” Rory said. “Did you bring your bathing suit, Madison?”

“Yes! Mommy, down.” Madison wriggled around until Jeannie set her down. She grabbed hold of Rory’s hand and tugged her back towards the bedroom. “Come see!”

The girls disappeared, and the adults were left to stare at each other awkwardly for a long moment until Rodney let out a deep breath.

“I’m sorry. For what I said when you got married. It was unfair.”

“Yes, it was,” Jeannie agreed.

“Obviously motherhood is agreeing with you. And I’m sure Kaleb has…many fine qualities.”

Now Jeannie looked amused. “Yes, he does.”

“You know she’s teaching at the university, right?” Kaleb interjected, cheeks flushed. “Just a summer class, but it’s really popular.”

Rodney stared. “You’re teaching? What subject?”

“Quantum mechanics.”

Rodney hugged his sister. “I knew it! I knew you wouldn’t let your brain atrophy!”

“You might want to tone that down, buddy,” John said.

He was glad that Rodney’s reunion with his sister was going so well, but it made him wonder about his own brother. He hadn’t talked to Dave in probably fifteen years or more, though he’d heard Dave got married and had a family of his own. Nieces or nephews that John wouldn’t know if he bumped into them on the street. 

John thought, when he’d decided not to try and mend fences with his family, that he’d been protecting Rory from the same toxicity he’d grown up with. Yes, people could change. But his father wasn’t people, he was the great and powerful Patrick Sheppard. That didn’t mean he couldn’t reach out to his brother. They’d been close, once upon a time. Before Dave had become their father’s Yes Man.

“Everything okay?” Rodney asked, and John realized he’d been standing there like a lump, lost in his thoughts.

“Fine. Pool?”

“Good thing I packed the sunblock.”

“Good thing you packed the lube,” John whispered in Rodney’s ear, just to watch him blush.

“We’ll, uh…meet you down there,” Rodney stammered to his sister. 

Jeannie just rolled her eyes. “You’re not even newlyweds yet.”

“Rehearsal,” John said with a grin.

*o*o*o*

John had thought he might be nervous, when the moment came. Getting married was such a big step, something he never thought was in the cards for him. He’d convinced himself that the only person he needed in his life was Rory, that being a dad was enough.

He’d been wrong.

“Every wrong thing that happened, every hardship, led me to you. That’s something I’ll never regret.” John held Rodney’s hands, looked deep into those blue, blue eyes, and felt nothing but the surety that he was doing the right thing. “You’re everything I didn’t know I needed in my life. And I’ll do my best to be the same for you.”

Rodney stared at him, looking like he was shocked by John’s words. For a man with so much wealth and self-assurance in regards to his work, his self-esteem was heart-breakingly fragile. John gave his hands a squeeze. _Love you_ , he mouthed.

“Dr. McKay?” the officiant prompted. 

Rodney cleared his throat, and let go of one of John’s hands to reach out for Rory. She looked between them, confused, but switched her bouquet to her left hand so she could take hold of Rodney’s hand.

“I, uh. I’m a genius about most things, but being a husband and a step-dad is new territory for me. I’ll probably screw things up from time to time. But I’ll do my very best – which is better than most people’s because I really am good at what I do – to support the both of you in every possible way. I know how lucky I am and I promise you won’t regret having me in your life.”

Only Rodney could be egotistical and self-effacing in the same vows, and John couldn’t help the affectionate smile that spread across his face. He glanced over at Rory, to see if she was feeling the same way about it and was alarmed when he saw she was crying.

“I could never regret you!” Rory flung herself at Rodney, hugging him tightly. Rodney hugged her back, looking a little alarmed at her vehement reaction yet pleased at the sentiment. “Good days or bad days, we’ll always love you just the same. Right, Daddy?”

Now John was the one feeling a little choked up. “That’s right.”

The man who was marrying them – thankfully not an Elvis – was smiling. “This seems like the perfect moment to declare, by the power invested in me by the state of Nevada, that John, Rodney, and Rory are now officially a family. Congratulations!”

John found himself in the middle of a group hug, trying to kiss Rodney over Rory’s head, laughing and maybe a little moist around the eyes. Jeannie and Madison threw flower petals in the air, and the Elvis impersonator who’d been standing by started to sing.

_Wise men say_   
_Only fools rush in_   
_But I can't help falling in love with you_   
_Shall I stay?_   
_Would it be a sin_   
_If I can't help falling in love with you?_

They posed for pictures, then went back to the hotel for a little poolside reception with food and cake and dancing. John didn’t want to forget a single moment of the day: Rory’s carefree smile as she danced with Madison, Rodney and Jeannie sharing a quiet moment together, Kaleb clapping John on the shoulder and warning him about the dangers of being married to a volatile McKay sibling, and Rodney kissing John and tasting like wedding cake.

“This is the best of the good days,” Rory said, dancing with John.

“The best,” John agreed. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to his daughter’s forehead. “Thanks for making it happen.”

“That’s why I get paid the big bucks!” Rory quipped.

“Can I cut in?” Rodney asked. He didn’t wait for a response before he swept Rory away.

John grinned, watching them for a minute before he wanted back to the bar for another beer. His last one, if he wanted to have a successful wedding night. Jeannie joined him there.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother this happy,” she said. “It’s going to take some getting used to.”

“I hope we’ll see more of you,” John replied honestly.

Jeannie laughed. “You won’t be able to keep me away!”

*o*o*o*

That night, lounging naked in bed with his new husband, John thought about how unexpected life could be. Up one minute, down the next, and somehow leading him right where he needed to be.

“I was thinking,” Rodney said. He traced abstract shapes on John’s stomach with his finger.

“Should I be worried?”

“Always, but that’s beside the point. We should get a house. Together.”

“A house?” John parroted. 

“It’s logical. We don’t need the expense of each having our own place. What are we supposed to do? One week at yours, one week at mine? Plus, we need a little more privacy. I love Rory, really I do, but I love having sex with you, too, and I just think a new house with a little more separation, and maybe some strategic soundproofing –”

John hooked his arm around Rodney’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss. It was the best course of action when the rambling started.

“It’s a good idea.”

“Really? Do you think Rory will think so? Maybe it’s too soon for another big change.”

John suspected Rodney could talk himself out of the idea just as easily as he’d talked himself into it. The man was excellent at arguing.

“Give the wedding time to settle,” he suggested. “Then we can bring it up, feel her out. Okay?”

“Sure. Yeah.”

“In the meantime…” John grabbed Rodney and rolled the both of them so John was on top, straddling Rodney. “Let’s change the subject.”

“I knew I married a smart man.”

Nothing else needed to be said.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** This has been sitting around mostly finished for ages. Why the holdup? I have no idea. So I finished it! I paired it up with the depression square on my h/c bingo card because Rory suffers from anxiety and depression, the same as my son. Before he got on his meds he was cutting, too, so this is all drawn from my own experiences.


End file.
